Refrigeration apparatus



Oct. 13, 1942. o. H YOXSlMER ETAL' 2,298,546

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed June 19, 194i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS OKLA/VD A. VOXJ/MEQ JIVTA/ON) A. Ql/IMPE? WITNESSES:

BYW

ATI'OR EY 0a. 13, 1942. Q H. YOXSMER ETAL 2,298,546

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed June l9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES: .INVENTORS OPZ 0 OXJ/M E 7? du ni 41 40/114,052 Mud BY ATTOR EY Patented Oct. 13, 1942 REFRIGERATION ArrAnA'rUs Orland n. Yoxsimer and Anthony' A. camper, Mansfield, Ohio, assignors to Westinghouse Electric a Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh,.Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 19, 1941,-Ser|al No. 398,698

4 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and particularly to refrigeration apparatus of the domestic or household type.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved cabinet for domestic or household refrigerators.

A further object of the invention is to improve the appearance of refrigerator cabinets of this type.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved ensembleof the cabinet and manually-operable controls of a domestic or household refrigerator.

A still further object is to provide a novel and improved means for concealing the manuallyoperable temperature control member of a domestic or household refrigerator when the door is closed.

These and other objects are efiected by our invention as will be apparent from the following description andclaims taken in accordance with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet illustrating the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken along the line II-H of Fig. ,1 with the door closed;

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the inner side of the door; and p 1 Fig. 4 is a section taken along line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention; numeral l designates generally a domestic refrigerator cabinet having vertical side walls anda vertical front wall l2. The cabinet l0 forms a food storage compartment I4 having an access opening plane below the plane of the bottom of the food storage compartment I4, v

An angle-shaped splashguard 24 rests on the top 2| of the panel 20. This guard includes a horizontal portion 25 which covers the top 2| of the panel and a vertical portion 26 which extends adjacent the front wall H of the cabinet substantially up to the plane of the bottom of the food storage compartment It. This guard protects the top of the panel 20 and that part of the front'wall-l2 covered by the same from bumps and spillings that might damage the finishof the same. The guard 22 may be made of stainless steel or any other suitable material. An ornamental escutcheon plate 21 having a window 28 therein is mounted on the splash guard 24. A manualiy-operable temperature control member 3| forsetting the controls 22 located in the machinery compartmentifi to maintain the desired temperature of the evaporator l8 projects I through the top 2| of the panel 20, the splash I5 at the front thereof and provided with-a door It for closing the access opening. An evaporator I8 is positioned in the food storage compart- I ment near the top thereof for cooling the same. The cabinet Ill also embodies a machinery compartment I 9 which is located below the food storage compartment and houses the usual compressing equipment and controls 22. The machinery is substantially that embodied in the domestic refrigerators now in general use but it will be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular arrangement of the machinery and controls except as specifically set forth in the appended claims.

The front of the machinery compartment I9 is I closed by a panel 20. This panel has a horizontally-extending ledge or top 2| which lies in a guard and the escutcheon plate 21. This member extends above the top 2| of the panel 2|! for a substantial distance so as to be readily accessible for adjusting. The .control member 3| has indicia thereon that is visible through the window '28 in the escutcheon plate 21. r The window 28 and indicia are located at'an angle so that the operator may, while standing in a normally upright'position, determine the temperature setting at a glance by reference to the window 28.

The door It has a gasket 34 thereon .which abutsv against the front of the cabinet in when the door is closed and provides a seal forthe food storage compartment ,ll. This gasket ineludes substantially vertical side portions 35 and substantially horizontal end portions 38. A lower portion 38 of the door overlaps the access opening IS in the food storage compartment and its bottom 39 lies closely adjacent the horizontal v portion ofthe splash guard 24. The lower portion 38 of the door has a recess 40 formed therein which is defined by a curved side wall 42; a substantially horizontal top wall 43, andtwo curved endwalls 44. As best seen from Figs 1 and 2,

the walls surroundingth e recess It and a. portion of the front wall l2 of the cabinet cooperate to provide a compartment in which escutcheon plate 21 and the temperature control member 3| are received and concealed when the door is closed. Obviously with this arrangement of the temperature control member 3|, it is well pro- 1 a tected from bumps or operation by unauthorized persons while the door is closed. As seen from Fig. 2, the front of the door it, when closed, is flush with the front of the panel 20. The overlapping portion 38 of the door is provided with filler gaskets 4| which are lined up with the vertical portions 85 of the gasket 34. These 'flller gaskets improve the outside appearance of the cabinet in that, when the cabinet is viewed from a side with the door I closed, a continuous gasket is seen from the bottom to the top of the door and there are no open cracks visible to lessen the attractiveness of the cabinet.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, it will be seen that the "invention provides an improved cabinet for domestic refrigerators which incorporates a novel arrangement of the manually-operated temperature control member, and a novel arrangement for receiving and concealing the manually-open ated control member when the door of the cabinet is closed.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

, Whatweclaim is:

1. In a refrigerator cabinet having a substantially vertical front wall, a food storage compartment, said food storage compartment having an access opening {in said front wall, cooling means located in said food storage compartment, a panel having a horizontally-extending top portion attached to-the access opening sid of said cabinet, said horizontally-extending top portion of said panel being positioned somewhat below the plane of the bottom of said access opening, a manually-operated control member for regulating the temperature of said cooling means projecting above the top of said panel for a substantial distance so as to be readily accessible for adjusting, a door for closing said access opening, said door having a gasket thereon for sealing the access opening, said gasket including a vertical portion adjacent each side of the door, said door having a portion which overlaps the access opening, said overlapping portion of the door having a recess therein, said recess being so formed that the walls of the door adjacent said recess and said vertical wallof said cabinet provide a compartment in which said control member is received and concealed when the door is closed, filler gaskets adjacent the sides of said overlapping portion of the door, said filler gaskets being positioned in line with said vertical portions of the door gasket so that when said cabinet is viewed from a side with the door closed a substantially continuous gasket is seen from thebottom to the top of the door.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet having a substantially vertical front wall, a food storage compartment having an access opening in said front wall, cooling means located in the food storage compartment, a panel having a horizontally-extending top portion attached to the access opening side of said cabinet, said horizontally-extending top portion of said panel being located a substantial distance belowthe plane of the bottom of said food storage compartment, a splash guard having a horizontally-extending portion covering said top portion of said panel and a verticallyextending portion extending adjacent a wall of said cabinet to substantially the plane of the bottom of said food storage compartment, an escutcheon .plate having a window therein located substantially midway on said splash guard, a manually-operated control member for controlling the temperature of said cooling means projecting above said escutcheon plate so as to be readily accessible for adjusting, said control member having indicia thereon and visible through the window in said escutcheon plate to indicate the setting of said control, a door having its front substantially flush with the front of said panel for closing said access opening, said door having a portion which overlaps said access opening, and said overlapping portion of said door having a recess therein, whereby th walls of said door adjacent said recess and the front wall of said cabinet cooperate to provide a compartment in which said control eelment is received and concealed when said door is closed.

3. In a refrigerator cabinet, the combination of a food-storage compartment having an access opening, a door of substantial thickness for said opening, said door having a depending wall at its lower edge, at least a portion of said wall being spaced from said cabinet when the door is closed, said cabine providing a substantially horizontal ledge extending to the lower edge of said portion of the depending wall to form a chamber immediately above said ledge when the door is closed, said ledge having an opening therein, a control element adapted for manual operation extending through said opening into said chamber, and indicia on the portion of the control element above said ledge, said indicia being inclined at an angle to said ledge to render them easily visible to a person standing before the refrigerator when the door is open.

4. In a refrigerator cabinet, the combination of a food-storage compartment having an access opening, a door of substantial thickness for said opening, said door having a depending wall at its lower edge, at least a portion of said wall being spaced from said cabinet when the door is closed,

said cabinet providing a substantially horizontal ledge extending to the lower edge of said portion of the depending wall to form a chamber immediately above said ledge when the door is closed, said ledge having an opening therein, a control element adapted for manual operation extending through said opening into said chamber, indicia on the portion of the control element above said ledge, said indicia being inclined at an angle to said ledge to render them easily visible to a person standing before the refrigerator when the door is open, and a stationary escutcheon'aplate covering a part of said portion of the control element.

ORLAND H. YOXSIMER. ANTHONY A. QUIMPER. 

